The school holidays are in full swing! Unfortunately, they crept up on you and now you have a household inhabited by bored children. 😅
That’s okay – you’ve got the caravan out the back and you’re ready to hitch it up, corral the kids into the car, and zoom off into the sunset for a grand family adventure! However, the very people you’re trying to entertain have decided that going caravanning and camping doesn’t seem very entertaining.
Let’s change their minds!
First of all, will you be travelling with teenagers or younger children? This, of course, will dictate where you go and what you may experience on this adventure.
Get them excited by letting them help plan the trip!
They’ll be a lot more inclined to get behind your bright idea if you let them help set the itinerary. Set your ultimate destination and allow them to hunt for fun adventures along the way. Show them the map, the direction you’d like to take, and get them to do some research and fill in the rest.
There might be a petting zoo that your younger children are interested in and there might be a scenic hiking trail your teenager is keen to visit. Maybe you have a budding content creator on your hands who’s looking forward to whipping out their phone and sharing the adventure on their socials.
These are the types of things you can tell them to pique their interest. You know your children best, so cater your cajoling! 😅
Try not to get too caught up in following a strict timeline.
Once you’re on the road and headed for your destination, don’t be afraid to throw your plans out the window and make a detour or two. There are all sorts of roadside attractions that aren’t visible on any maps and any one of them could spark the interest of your younger passengers.
Embrace these unexpected stops, after all: the journey is most of the adventure! 😊
In-between stops, stave off boredom with the essentials – the kids’ tablets, portable DVD player, whatever you may have available to you. A big part of this adventure is to get the kids off their screens, but keep in mind that they’ll already be experiencing plenty of new things and allowing them small increments of technology-time will keep the peace. Especially if your young squad includes teenagers! They’ll want to keep in touch with their friends and you’ll only have a cloud of anger darkening your holiday if you refuse.
You do want everyone to have a good time! 😉 Sometimes compromise is important.
Make sure you bring plenty of activities for when you set up for the night. Unfortunately, many younger kids don’t have an interest in sitting quietly by the campfire and staring up at the stars. Take advantage of this to share the opportunity in some quality family time with boardgames, family activities and camp cooking together, and then when the youngsters are down for the night, treat yourself to the peace and serenity only the outdoors can provide.
Most importantly, enjoy your trip!
This is a great opportunity to spend time together and create lasting memories. If you’re not enjoying yourself, chances are the kids won’t either.
Remember to relax and have fun.
Now go on out there and create some memories that everyone will enjoy looking back upon! 😊